Domnick’s at Brookforest in Shorewood will be closing after the first of the year alone with Joliet, Romeoville and Homer Glen.
Photo by Brock A. Stein

“The east side was pretty much blank and it was still being farmed,” he said.

The Dominick’s on Weber also was one of the early retail big box developers for Romeoville and the store later added a gas station at the end of the parking lot.

The impact that the closing of the Dominick’s stores in Romeoville and Shorewood will have on local employment and tax revenues remains to be seen.

Romeoville Mayor John Noak agreed said although the closure may have a slight impact on the Village’s sales-tax revenue, he and other village officials are confident that another retailer will take over the site as the store is along a major retail corridor.

“We hope that any new business which locates here will continue to employ some of the staff so job loss is minimal,” Noak said.

Chapman is most concerned about the impact the Shorewood store’s potential closing will have on the local families who rely on wages from the 45 or so employees who stand to lose their jobs at the store.

“My biggest concern is the people this will put out of work,” he said.

Just as Noak is confident about the lure for developers to the Dominick’s stores’ Weber Road location, Chapman said he believes the Shorewood property will be an attractive purchase for a grocer or other retailer looking for a corner that sees a lot of traffic.

Shorewood’s economic development director is already making calls, the mayor said.

“I would hope that somebody would come in and bring these people back to work,” Chapman said. “It’s out of our control, we just have to wait.”

While Plainfield doesn’t have a store within its boundaries, village planner Michael Garrigan said that grocery chain Mariano's Fresh Markets was the most likely candidate to purchase some of the soon-to-be shuttered Dominick’s locations. Mariano's is run by former Dominick’s executive Bob Mariano.

By Rex Robinson

Stephanie Herek unloads groceries into her trunk after shopping at the Dominick’s in Romeoville last week with her mother, Helene Hobbs.

Stephanie Herek walked out the Dominick’s on Weber Road last Friday with a cart load of groceries. She said she was angered to hear that the store would be closing in a year’s time.

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Dominick's Romeoville

“I only shop here or over at Wal-Mart.” “I’ve been shopping here for a long time.”

With three small children and a husband at home, Herek estimates she spends $600 to $700 per month for groceries. She said she loves “Just for U,” an online savings program offered by Dominick’s. Herek said she saved $72.45 on her bill by using the program.

Calls to the Shorewood location for details about the impact on employees were referred to a corporate spokesperson who didn't return calls for comment.